Could 3D-Printed Luggage Spell The End Of Baggage Fees And Woes? (VIDEO)

The Huffington Post Canada

Janne Kyttanen may have found a way to take the "lug" out of luggage.

The Finnish designer specializing in 3D-printing currently has a line of clothes and accessories that don't need to be carried around while travelling. Instead, Kyttanen wants you to print them out.

The idea is to have travellers' baggage broken down not into items or materials, but lines of code. Much like how you'd send a document or photo over the web to print remotely, Kyttanen wants travellers take the concept to the next level by printing their baggage after they've arrive at their destination.

"What if luggage was obsolete? How would this change our perception of travel? Send your luggage in an email. Travel the world unencumbered and arrive to find your luggage waiting for you," Kyttanen says in his video.

While the items are skewed towards the female traveller, the potential is enough for travellers of any gender to get excited. For starters, checked baggage fees would be one less thing to worry about. Second, it'd give travellers the ability to pack (or is it print?) only what the need instead of lugging around unnecessary items. And above all else you'd be able to email your luggage, which is cool no matter how you break it down.

Granted, Kyttanen's tech is still very much a concept.

In order for full-scale use, travellers would first have to find out how to digitize their items into code and then find a nearby 3D-printer at their destination. Considering how 3D-printers like the Makerbot start at $2800 per machine, it doesn't look like mass usage will be available any time soon.

What say you the 3D-printing of your luggage? A novel idea of a plan that'll flop flat on its face? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter @HPCaTravel.